Canadian barber goes viral with above and beyond approach to clients

A Canadian barber has gone viral for his ‘above and beyond’ approach to clients, such as lying on the floor to cut the hair of a child with autism.

Franz Jakob cuts the hair of many children with disabilities and the terminally ill (for no charge) at his Authentischen Barbier in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec.

One of his clients is 6-year-old Wyatt Lafreniere, who was diagnosed with autism at 2 years old.

Wyatt’s mother, Fauve, told ABC that haircuts are difficult because Wyatt is hypersensitive to sound and touch, which means that he “does not like his hair to be touched” and many sounds are “aggressive for him”.

For Wyatt’s 90-minute sessions, Franz begins by playing a game or eating candy, and must be “really, really, really patient” because he’s not the one driving these moments.

Duringa recent session, Wyatt got on the floor – so Franz grabbed a mirror, and followed him to complete the cut on the floor. The photo taken of this moment was posted on Facebook.

Franz says it’s in his nature to “go the extra mile”, and that “it’s an honor” for him to do this work.

Fauve says she feels blessed to have Franz in their lives, and that “anyone can make a difference with an open mind and love”.